House of the Shooting Star
by blueangel3136
Summary: Born into the House of the Moon, he wanted freedom from his Fate. He found his freedom his enemy, the enemy of his family. In each other, they found their freedom.
1. Chapter 1

House of the Shooting Star

Chapter One 

The lands of the Western Provinces were peaceful, and had not been bothered with war or famine for many decades.  
Almost a century to be exact. The lands were not ruled with an iron law like many were, but were ruled by,  
strangely enough, a taiyoukai who's tranquility and joyful nature were known to all. He ruled peacefully, never   
causing any sort of political or moral issue with neighboring lords, and he was never questioned even with his warm  
nature. 

For flowing in his veins was the black blood of the youkai, and the strength of the inu youkai clan which had  
survived several millennia of bloody youkai wars.

Ningen and youkai coexisted, learning from one another and basking in the warm watch of their lord. For many  
years he sat alone upon his thrown, showing no discontent of any kind in any fashion. But slowly his closest   
advisors, the ones who still remembered the days of the previous Inu no Taisho, began to see a slow decline in the  
young taiyoukai's demeanor and the discontent which had never been seen before suddenly began to rear its head  
within the amber eyes of the new Inu no Taisho.

Naturally, the advisors were worried. For if anyone learned of the young tai's emotional status, the whole kingdom  
could go under.

So, being older than the young male by many centuries, the advisors cleverly began to weave a plan without their  
master knowing. They began to hold many great feasts where youkai came from great distances to behold the  
glorious lands the current Inu no Taisho held. This went on for some time, galas and feasts were becoming more and  
more common in the lands and were always the talk amongst the country's women.

But to the dismay and frustration of the advisors, the young lord's discontent did not lessen, but instead seemed to  
grow. That is, until the night of a particular lunar eclipse.

This eclipse was like nothing any youkai or ningen had seen, showering the world in a beautiful wash of strange  
astral light. Storytellers and old village leaders would later recognize this night as a disturbing omen, never truly  
revealing why they said such, but they continued to look upon the startling beauty of that night as an ill omen  
against the peaceful country.

For that night, the discontent in the young taiyoukai's eyes disappeared with a single blink.

All it took was a single glance in the right direction and the young lord had stood transfixed in place where he stood  
out on the balcony over-looking his kingdom. He had been captivated by the beautiful astral rays of light from the  
eclipse, but what he saw at this moment time had stolen his breath and locked it away in some gilded cage.

She had taken his breath away.

Long waves of glorious liquid silver ran down her back, seeming to sparkle in the light of the candles and torches  
about the grand hall. A light, formal yukata of pale blue was draped upon a petite, yet undoubtedly strong, body and  
was decorated with small silver vines and flowers that could only be seen in the correct light. Her silver obi was  
fastened tight and he had to use very little imagination to know how her curves were truly set. Just from the back   
she was beautiful.

But she seemed to know he was staring, because in a slow, almost fluid, motion and swirl of expensive silk and  
liquid silver, she turned and looked upon him with the most stunning ice blue eyes he had ever seen. Not in any  
mortal, youkai, or any other creature had he'd seen such glorious, mirthful eyes. A faint tinge of pink instantly rose  
to the surface upon her elegant cheekbones and over the rumbling sounds of the gala, the young taiyoukai could  
hear her melodious laughter, which sent tingles throughout his tanned skin.

Many years later many people would look back upon this moment and tell of how the hall suddenly quieted, all eyes  
now focused on the young tai and the beautiful hime from the Northern Provinces, both of which stood still with  
their eyes glued to each other. Time seemed to stand still for all in the room, and it was said some sort of spell  
seemed to break as the young Inu no Taisho took slow, graceful steps towards the blushing beauty, his eyes  
glittering with wonderment and something else.

At this time in history, we would say it was "love at first sight".

Many of the onlookers were other females, all wishing to catch the young prince's eye, and even though she did not  
show it, the blushing hime must have felt the jealous glares being directed at her person.

When the young tai finally stood before her, he once again found himself breathless, for she was even more  
stunning up close. A rebellious fire, one that many females were rid of early on, burned brightly in her eyes and he  
wanted to smirk when he realized she would be quite a challenge. The light tinge of pink upon her cheeks was said  
to have grown to a full blush suddenly as the young lord slowly knelt before her and took her dainty, clawed hand in  
his before placing a chaste, respectful kiss upon her knuckles.

After that night the two children of royalty were always together. Inseparable.

She taught him to ride horseback, something which he had never bothered to trifle with and something she insisted  
was worthy of learning. He taught her to fight with a sword, the only weapon she had not yet mastered. He taught  
her to be mischievous more than she naturally was, and she taught him to laugh. Sometimes they bickered, but it was   
quickly resolved with hearty laughter. Often they could be seen playing childish games that were many decades  
behind them, even while they sat at the same table as many other lords of various stations.

But it mattered not to them. All that mattered was that they were together, and finally, after nearly two years of   
denying the truth, the two spirited youkai were mated.

Another year later, the new heir to the western throne was born.

A child who was said to have the perfect balance of his mother and father. The stunningly beautiful inu youkai had  
glorious silver hair like both parents, but inherited the gleaming sheen from his mother, along with his grace which  
was discovered at a very early age when he had fallen from his cradle unharmed. He held his father's deep amber  
eyes that resembled a dying sunset. Also inherited from his mother were the lethal poisons running within his black   
blood, poisons that were much stronger than the ones his father held.

The babe grew into a toddler, and then a young boy. A bright boy who let nothing escape his curious eyes, and  
never hesitated to ask questions. He was as playful as his parents, and inherited a mischievous streak from his  
father's blood, one that many had hoped would die out. But alas, many lords and ladies found themselves far more  
intoxicated then they had intended at one particular gala.

What they didn't know was that the young boy had not been alone in the deed, but was in fact helped by both of his  
parents.

As the years went by, the young boy began to train in the art of combat. Many hours of his days were spent sparing  
with his mentor, and father's chief advisor, who's crimson eyes watched on as the young boy turned into a rough   
adolescent. He was rebellious, strong, and in need of some stiff discipline. But when the Inu no Taisho was  
confronted with the matter, he simply laughed and told the advisors or servants to return to their duties.

When he had reached his twenty-third summer, fifteen in ningen appearance, his was instructed by his mother about   
the rare and powerful poisons within his black blood. Not only did they spar during their times together, they  
laughed and joked and did the typical things mothers and sons did.

But one day as they worked with the young youkai's youki whip, the Lady of the West collapsed.

For many years to come, stories were heard of how the young son ran through the halls of the castle, calling for his  
father or anyone to help. But many servants were out at the market, and those that weren't were out in the gardens  
tending the beautiful flowers the Lady loved so much. Now many of tales change here. Some say the young son of  
the lands remembered that his father had left with his advisors and would be away for several more days at least.  
Other versions said that he did in fact find the Inu no Taisho in his study and they raced to the fallen lady's side.

Unfortunately for the young prince and the Western Provinces, neither of these were true.

In fact, the young prince did find his father. But instead of working in his study or being away on the business of a  
lord, the Inu no Taisho was found within his chambers, and was undoubtedly not alone. Something inside the prince  
had frozen in that moment as he watched his father bed another woman, a ningen no less, and for the very first time  
the prince felt something he did not know.

Rage.

The young lord flew into an uncontrollable rage, his eyes having bled to a deep crimson and his black blood burning  
beneath his skin. A snarl ripped itself from his gut and within his own mind, the young prince watched from a far  
away view as his father turned with wide eyes and the woman beneath him screamed.

It was then he could no longer see through his own eyes.

When he awoke, the young lord found himself alone and covered in blood. Ningen blood if his nose correct, and he  
knew it was. He had looked around to see only dark forest and hear nothing but the eerie silence of the night. But  
the silence was quickly shattered by a heart-wrenching howl, not one of a wolf.

A howl of dog, so tortured in sound that it reminded the young prince of a dying animal.

With speed not even his parents could challenge, the young lord had leapt to his feet and headed towards the howl,  
and was shocked after many minutes to find himself within the entry hall of the castle he'd grown up in. He had  
paused, only to set off once more when another resounding howl was heard from the direction of the dojo and the  
memories of previous hours rushed into his mind.

It is said, in all the tales of these events, that the life within the young lord died that day.

The day his mother, the Lady of the Western Lands, perished due to complications she'd had with a pup not even  
her mate knew she was carrying.

She was buried beneath a grand statue of her likeness, depicted in stark white marble that glittered under the  
moonlight alone, and white lilies were planted about the beautiful shrine by the lord's orders, for they had been her  
favorite as well as her own scent.

On that day, six centuries ago, the young heir to the western throne died and was reborn in a form that honored his  
namesake. 

Sesshoumaru, first born son of the Inu no Taisho, died. Born was Sesshoumaru, the Aristocratic Assassin.

The lands seemed to wither after the death of the young lord's mother and her unborn child, as though she had been  
connected with the lands themselves. But there was no doubt that she had been connected to the Inu no Taisho, for  
he too began to wither away.

He locked himself away in his study, and did not come out for many days at a time. Sometimes he would remain  
locked inside for an entire lunar cycle. When the lord was seen, he looked to be a walking cadaver. Soulless,  
withered, and a mere shadow of his former self. Eventually, after many months of this cycle, the lord simply began   
to disappear. Mostly for weeks at a time, sometimes several lunar cycles, and once for nearly a whole year. Many  
began to worry for the state of the kingdom, and the advisors began to consider hiring assassins to kill the Inu no  
Taisho, so that the young heir, Sesshoumaru, could instead sit upon the throne.  
He was of age, he was cunning and calculated, and he could best all but his father in battle. So then why not make  
him the new Inu no Taisho? Many asked such, but were never answered. Finally, after nearly four years of tireless  
unease in the kingdom, a climax was reached as the Inu no Taisho appeared within the courtyard in a flash of  
brilliant light and an explosion of youki. He looked alive again, healthy, and was most certainly not alone.

Screams of outrage and distaste were heard for miles.

On the arm of the once highly respected lord was a ningen, the very ningen he had bedded the day his mate had   
died. A fine scar ran down her right cheek and many surmised the Inu no Taisho must have used his blood to heal it.  
Along with the wounds the young Sesshoumaru himself had inflicted, for she looked completely healthy.

And very heavy with the weight of an unborn child.

Sesshoumaru, who had remind nearly silent for near four years, had let out a shout of indignantly and rage that was   
barely controlled beneath his skin. In those moments he wanted nothing more than to rip the throat from the woman  
cowering behind his "sire" and leave it for the wolves. He wanted nothing more than to scatter her bloody remains  
into the wind, to blame her for causing his mother's death, and for causing his father to be too late.

But he was silenced as the blade of his father's sword sliced into the flesh of his neck, leaving a small cut as a   
warning before he had simply backhanded the youth, sending him to the ground several hundred feet away. Then,  
without another look towards his only son, the Inu no Taisho entered the castle with his new ningen mate on his arm  
as she clung to him in obvious fear. 

Suddenly, the tale of the stunning lunar eclipse from years before came back, and many knew the ominous warning  
had passed. Now the ominous present loomed overhead, and many prayed to the Kami as much as possible, hoping  
they at least would be saved. But as time wore on, rebels began to form secret societies as the babe within the  
ningen mate of the western tai grew ever larger. Two kinds, which had coexisted for centuries, suddenly fought at  
the sight of one another, both blaming the other for the mistake within their government.

But biggest blame was between the young lord himself and the Inu no Taisho.

Both despised the other, blaming one another for the death of the first mate. The Taisho insisted that the young lord  
could have done more in order to save her, and the young Sesshoumaru insisted the same about his sire, and cursed  
the elder male's foolishness for not detecting his own mate's pregnancy. Gradually, they began to argue fiercely,   
often shaking the stone walls that surrounded them. Many hoped that the young Lord Sesshoumaru would slay the  
Inu no Taisho at times like this, but unfortunately for them, Sesshoumaru was still rash in judgement and fought like  
the rough youkai teen he was. 

Even if his demeanor did not reflect such.

But the arguments escalated one night, the night when no moon hung in the sky, and the servants would forever  
remember the words shouted throughout the halls as the screams of a young hanyou babe were heard amongst the  
hatred.

"Ungrateful wretch! I should spill your blood upon this floor for such words!"

"Well then 'Oh Great Sire', do it! If you cannot kill me, then banish me! I will no longer tolerate this injustice! This  
humiliation! It's a dire sin! A disgusting deed that mother would have scoffed at!" 

"You're mother cannot scoff boy! Thanks to you, she lies within the ground and her soul wanders in the  
Underworld! Be not a fool in assuming she can scoff at me, for the dead cannot scoff!" 

"Who are you to say such things! You, who has forsaken her and bedded a disgusting wench such as that Izayoi!  
You have slaughtered the memory of my mother by bedding this woman! You have proved she meant nothing to  
you! And you have proved your own flesh and blood is worth nothing!"

The young lord had fled from the castle that day, leaving behind an enraged Inu no Taisho. 

Large sections of the surrounding lands were decimated at the young prince's hand, poison scorching the earth black  
and claw marks forever engraved upon the granite cliffs to the east of the castle. Many of the villagers remained  
within their homes for many days, living on what they had near. But after nearly a week, the destruction suddenly  
stopped. For the peasants, life went on as it should.

But for the nobles, chaos and discord ruled their minds and hearts.

Sesshoumaru, after finally ceasing the needless destruction of the Western Provinces, was no longer trackable.  
There was no word of his well-being and many of the advisors considered that maybe he had been slain by some  
assassin sent by the Inu no Taisho himself. But then again, what kind of creature would murder his own son? Surely  
their lord did not despise his first born so much as to kill him.

For many lunar cycles, the nobles of the West deliberated on the problems plaguing the lands. Unease was much  
greater than before since the news of the young hanyou prince's birth escaped into the villages. Already, nearly  
seven rebel societies had been destroyed and their members slaughtered after giving all their valuable information.  
But the dismay of the nobles and advisors, the Inu no Taisho did nothing. To enthralled was he with his new son,  
the filthy hanyou, to give a care about his lands, his people, and his missing first born. Many considered taking the  
matter to the high council, who had without a doubt heard of the matter, and request that the Inu no Taisho be   
removed from his throne and a replacement would reign until the fate of the first born son was known.

For after near three years, no news of Sesshoumaru was heard other than the old stories. 

Many were giving up hope, knowing that the kingdom was doomed to fall at the rate it was going along. Some of  
the smarter people of the area simply packed their belongings and left without a struggle, instead of staying behind  
and watch the world fall down around them. For surely, this is what was to come. So many thought this, and just as  
many could not decided whether to keep praying or leave.

But a sudden roar of cheers and hope soared across the lands the day a familiar white-clad figure appeared on the   
cliffs near the Inu no Taisho's castle.

The return of the elder prince Sesshoumaru made many anxious, for they knew that the young lord's return would  
not fare well for the Inu no Taisho or others in his company. Very few feared for the hanyou child, who now  
reached his father's waist, and said that he was a needed sacrifice to return peace and tranquility to the lands of the  
West.

Crowds of peasants, ningen and youkai, followed behind Sesshoumaru as he approached the castle at an even pace.  
Many could see the changes in the young youkai, and they could only assume he had trained during his absence. He  
wore heavy spiked armor that looked like nothing his father wore, his kimono's decorative splashes of color were no  
longer hues of blue but instead deep, blood red and many believed that it was in fact the blood of one of the lord's  
opponents.

Perhaps the blood of the Inu no Taisho would soon don the white silk as well, many would say.

When he had reached the castle, Sesshoumaru had looked upon it with steely eyes of ice and an expression so  
fierce, yet hollow, that many of the followers closest to him backed away in fear. The castle guards had charged  
them, their captain barking out orders from atop his black stallion. But before a single blow was exchanged, a  
woman's shout was heard from behind the soldiers and all eyes turned to see the "Lady" of the castle running as fast  
she could towards the commotion, though having a difficult time with all the layers in her kimono.

"Look at the wench run!"  
"She gives orders as though she is important!" The followers all shouted in unison with each other, their insults  
making Sesshoumaru fight back a smirk.

"Such an unworthy blood traitor to bare a child such as a hanyou!"

"Disgusting is what it is!" 

"Disgraceful!"

"Silence all!" The followers all seemed to lose their fire, their will to insult, as a booming voice echoed from  
across the castle grounds. Sesshoumaru barely turned his head to see his sire standing in the sunlight wearing a   
kimono reminiscent of previous years, a young child clinging to his leg.

The child.

Sesshoumaru had narrowed his eyes upon the boy, seeing its ears flatten against its disgusting head. Wide amber  
eyes were clouded with the disgusting brown of his mothers eyes and did not shine brightly like his father's or   
brother's. He wore an outfit of solid red, and looked so utterly innocent that Sesshoumaru wanted to rip him away  
from his sire's leg and reveal to him just how cruel the world could be. 

He wanted to utterly corrupt the boy, and destroy the spirit hidden with him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, onegai! Let us not fight! We are family, if not by blood then..." He turned and glared at the  
ningen wench with a glare that made many wish for their place six feet under the soil.

"Speak not of family wench! If you cherished family so much, then you should not have destroyed this one!" A  
strange tone had overtaken the young lord's voice, and he seemed so much more wiser and capable now than several   
years before.

Perhaps now the council would grant him the throne and rid the world of the current Inu no Taisho.

"M'Lord, I did not mean to do so! I love my Lords dearly and I despair when I see them at odds! You are father and  
son, yet you fight like enemies described in the ancient texts! Onegai, place the past behind you and walk towards  
me! Onegai, become the prince and brother you were meant to be!"

Silence reigned heavy after the woman's speech, and Sesshoumaru did not falter. All waited with baited breath that  
began to feel like fire within their chests. But the held breaths turned to screams and shouts, mixed of horror and  
victory, as Sesshoumaru simply smirked before lunging at the woman known as the "Lady" of the Western Lands,  
and without belying a single emotion, sliced open her abdomen in a single, clean slash.

She was dead before her body hit the ground.

Cries and screams of a young hanyou would be forever heard within the minds of all present on that day, as well as  
the tortured, outraged cries of a dog as the Inu no Taisho ripped the skin from his humanoid form and transformed  
into the monstrous hound known as his true form. Crimson eyes burned with hatred towards Sesshoumaru, and   
screams of horror escalated as the followers fled upon the sight of an enraged inu taiyoukai.

All the while, Sesshoumaru had simply wiped the blood from his claws with an icy expression. It was only when the  
Inu no Taisho began to descend upon him did the young tai react.

"Father, you are a fool now. You were a fool years ago. But now, be a fool in the afterlife!" Screams of fright and  
shock echoed across the lands as the young prince's body suddenly grew and shed its ningen-like appearance.  
Suddenly, two gigantic white inu youkai stood looming over the lands, evenly matched in size. They exchanged  
snarls and growls, but before they could leap at each others throats, the shout of a child rang out.

"Aniki, yamete!" Surprisingly, Sessohumaru had faltered like his father, glancing down at the hanyou boy with clear   
disgust in his crimson eyes. "Mother was right! We shouldn't fight! We are a family and family ties are stronger  
than the ties of revenge and hatred!"

Many of the commoners were shocked. To hear such words from an unworthy hanyou, it was insane! Of course they  
knew he'd been educated, but for him to speak in such a way to his own brother, who had just slain his ningen  
mother, and not have any sort of hatred in his eyes.

Silence ruled the lands in those moments.

Looking at the child through red hazed vision, Sesshoumaru studied him closer. The child bore such a resemblance  
to their father, possessing a more rough face and darker hair. But even with the differences, the child was his blood   
sibling.

And no matter how much he may have despised the boy, Sesshoumaru found he could not kill him.

The Inu no Taisho must have realized that his eldest son had resigned the fight, for he suddenly faded back into his  
humanoid form and fell to his knees next to his second mate. His howls of despair were heard by all, and  
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he too reverted back, when he saw that the young hanyou child had not removed  
his eyes from the older sibling of the two.

Was he not saddened by the death of the ningen wench Izayoi?

Thinking back, Sesshoumaru was so confused on the matter. The confusion was well veiled, only released in times  
such as this. Life had changed much since then, since that day over half a century before. His father, who still   
remained the Inu no Taisho to this day, hated him with a passion so fierce that many waited with held breath for a  
confrontation. The elder lord's ire was ever present, that much as certain. Yet, he kept it hidden to the eyes off  
others.

Particularly his second born son.

Inuyasha now looked to be fifteen in ningen years, well into his physical training at the castle. He still wore his  
bright red garbs, those of the fire rat's fur, and strangely, he did not hold hatred for his sibling. He knew his older   
brother despised him, he knew Sesshoumaru had murdered his mother, and he knew their father would kill his first  
born without cause. Even still, Inuyasha did not hate Sesshoumaru. Instead, he idolized him.

Sesshoumaru snorted, flicking a small bug off of his haori. He lay eagle-spread on his back, his arms folded beneath  
his head and a frown upon his face. It was times like this, when the world seemed so far away, that he allowed   
himself to indulge in the phenomena of emotions and expression. It was times like this when scraps of the once  
bright and lively child of the west reappeared, though much more subdued. A stray hair from his bangs drifted over  
the tip of his sensitive nose and he snorted, blowing it back into place. His hair was for once not against his back,  
but was instead in a high ponytail like his father's, only it appeared far more regal on Sesshoumaru. The Inu no  
Taisho always had a wild, unrefined look to his face. 

Sesshoumaru was called by many the "Ethereal Prince of Beauty".

He scoffed at this, feeling like some sort of weakling with a name like that. Although, his actual name was enough   
to make his ego swell, and had he'd been the youkai from before, he would have puffed out his chest with his pride.  
As it was, he somewhat resembled his younger self now. His clothes that were usually pristine white with splashes  
of crimson color were instead looking rather...normal. His haori was a forest green color, no other colors present on  
the fabric, and there was no armor present to cover it. His hakamas were rather untraditional. Sesshoumaru himself  
had boughten them from a foreigner and was quite happy with his find. His haori was tucked in at the waist, the   
brown hakamas held up with a belt also given to him from the foreigner, and the bottoms of each leg were tucked  
into a pair of worn , black leather boots that made virtually no sound when he moved.  
Other than that he only had his sword, that was strapped to his belt, and a few odds and ends to make his  
wanderings less hassle.

Gazing through the canopy of green, Sesshoumaru could see the blue sky above and a pair of birds fly by.  
Everything was so different out here, including himself, and if he had a choice, he'd remain away from the castle for  
good. He knew, if the Kami would allow it, he would give away his title and everything he had to remain this free.

Yes, free.

Free from the worries of a prince, free from the hatred of his father, and free from the strange adoration his sibling  
held for him. As it was, he had been gone for nearly a month and the council would request him back soon. With a  
loud sigh, he realized his freedom was indeed short lived and he would have to return. But before he could even  
stand, a piercing scream echoed within the woods around him.

"I will not die!"

It was that of a female, strained and hateful in sound. Sesshoumaru suddenly stood from his place on the ground and  
readied himself, for he could hear her coming. Her panicked breaths were thunderous in his ears, her footfalls  
rushed and pounding. But against that, he could also hear the footfalls of others all around her on the ground and  
trees. The clang of metal on metal was heard, the clanging of chains as well.

The girl was being pursued.

Suddenly, the female form broke through the edge of the trees, no more than a blur of color and noise as she turned  
towards the nearest attacker and through up her hand, facing her palm towards them and letting out another shout.

"Just leave me alone!" A bright light shone brightly from her hand suddenly, so bright that it hurt his eyes to some  
degree as he watched. At that time, all he could make out of her was a slender form, lean and tone from what he  
could see, and she was small. Very small.

The screams of several of her attackers echoed in the clearing as the light died away, leaving three of her pursuers   
gone. But she crouched low when she realized that three was not enough to get her freedom or escape. Sesshoumaru  
himself realized this, and before he could fully think about his actions, his sword was drawn from its sheath as he  
ran towards her form as many colorless forms leapt from the trees. He heard her block the first of the creature's  
swords, but again it wasn't enough and she cried out as a blade sliced through her arm. Another cry was heard when  
a slice was delivered to her hip, nearly cutting deep enough to grind against bone.

She fell to her knees as he reached her, looking utterly defeated as she looked up with wide eyes at her attackers.  
Wide, sapphire blue eyes. But they didn't hold his attention for long and he barely made a sound as he swung his  
blade in arc, sending out a wave of energy towards the dark creatures.

It wasn't long before their screams were simple echoes in his memories.


	2. Chapter 2

House of the Shooting Star

Chapter Two

Darkness was beginning to hang over the lands like a blanket, comforting and warm. In fact, the night was strangely warm for this time of year even though there was a slight breeze. The sounds of daylight had already faded in memory, including the screams of his earlier "victims". Now, sounds of the night echoed in his sensitive ears as well as the crackling of the small fire before him. Normally, he wouldn't worry about such things. They were beneath his kind.

But not beneath hers.

Looking up from the suddenly fascinating leaf that lay next to his foot, he glanced at her from across the small campsite. At first, he'd had no idea what kind of creature she was. Her clothes were unlike anything he'd ever seen. Actually, he couldn't say that. They resembled those of the foreigner he'd bought his hakama from. She wore black boots that he was sure were close to falling apart, a large hunting knife secured against he leg beneath the straps holding the boots on her feet. Coming out of the black boots just below her knees were a pair of the strange hakama he wore, but unlike his brown ones hers were a deep forest green and slashed with what looked to be a mixture of claws, swords, and thorns. She also wore a belt, one that was strangely intricate for one such as her, and he barely noticed a small chain leading from the belt and into her pocket. Her top, which assumed had been white at one time, was very strange indeed. For instead of hanging loosely like most clothing did, it was like a second skin with a simple silver design across the top. The top itself was strange too, for it hung off her shoulders. It was horribly stained, nearly tan with dirt and his eyes narrowed when he saw several stains that looked to be old blood.

'The blood is hers, that much is certain. But although it is still not fully dried, I cannot smell an actual injury on the girl.'

Over the top was another shirt, this one not really having a purpose since it was completely sheer and ripped to shreds. Underneath all her clothes, he could clearly see she was very lean. Not skinny, but lean, and every muscle seemed to be tense as she sat there before him in the light of the small fire. At her side was a small pack, and he had to wonder if she actually thought she could survive off the rations she had stowed in there. He would have been able to, as a youkai, but she was simple ningen. For her to live off so little would be impossible. She wasn't unarmed, which was clear when he'd first come upon her. At her hip was a katana tied to her belt, looking extremely old and mistreated. A bow and quiver were beside her pack, looking to be in much better shape than the katana. A sharp movement on her part made him narrow his eyes, but he relaxed again when he saw that she was simply staring at something on her hand.

'A ring...' He could see the silver shining from where he sat. But it was then that he was drawn to her face for the first time.

A long, slender neck lead to a face in the shape of a heart, dirt and gore hiding her undoubtedly pale complection. She had full, pouting lips that would look strange on most youkai, but they were no less attractive. An elegant nose, one that suggested nobility in her blood, was smudged with a thick line of dried blood. But when he reached her eyes, he fought a very strong gasp.

It was well known that ningen, aristocracy or not, possessed relatively normally eye colors of mostly browns unless they were barbarians or foreigners like the man he'd gotten his possessions from. But this girl, who looked nothing like a barbarian in any way, had eyes of such a shocking color that he had thought his own eyes were deceiving him. But they weren't, and couldn't help but be quite shocked. Eyes that should have been brown due to her species were instead a fierce sapphire blue, glittering in the light of the fire and framed by her long, thick eyelashes. They were as dark as her onyx hair, which hung in a very loose braid that was slung over her left shoulder. Long bangs grew almost wild, but seemed to suit her as they framed her face.

She was...acceptable for a ningen. Though if anyone ever heard him admit that, he'd cut out his own tongue.

"Why?" Her question, no more like demand, cut through his studying like a polished blade and he stiffened as he sat upright against the tree behind him. Her voice was soft, but no less demanding. So demanding in fact that it set his ire ablaze.

"Do you honestly have the audacity to ask me such after I saved your worthless life?" She visibly winced at his harsh tone, but narrowed her eyes all the same. Eyes that were still focused on her ring and not him.

"I was merely asking a question."

"Why question that which has saved you?"

"Why question my question?" He wanted to smirk at her as she sat up straighter, a strange spark lighting up her eyes.

"Because you are a mere ningen. Why should I not question your question when you are questioning a creature far above you?" To this, her answer was not of words. Instead, her gaze finally left her ring and he was stilled when the power of her gaze was fully aimed at him. Her eyes spoke so much more than she ever could, their strange blue depths speaking to him even across the distance.

Who in the Kami's great name was this ningen girl?

"If you're so far above one such as I, then why would you save me?" At his, his eyes narrowed. She had backed him into a corner, one that he had expected but not one that he had hoped for. Honestly, he didn't know why. He should have let her be sliced apart by her attackers and the left to rot on the forest floor. It would mean one less disgusting ningen to pollute the lands of his forefathers.

But he was saved when a single sound, inaudible to her inferior ningen hearing, echoed within his pointed ears.

'So, she has more attackers than she or I had originally thought.' Before he himself could ready himself, he noticed that she'd stiffened drastically, her eyes narrowed as she seemingly stared at nothing. He noticed her hand had somehow found its way to the hilt of her sword with barely a movement at all. How was she able to know they were surrounded? Surely she couldn't have heard them! Could she sense them somehow?

'I shall question her should she survive.' No sooner than he'd finished his thought did numerous forms erupt from the shadows around them, all armed and all youkai. He barely noticed her leap up from her spot, drawing her sword in a swift movement before slicing into the nearest youkai with an almost fluid grace.

Soon the sounds of metal on metal echoed throughout the forest, shrieks and shouts adding on. Sesshoumaru grimaced as one especially foul smelling youkai came too close for comfort, before simply sinking his claws into the creature's back and releasing his bright green toxins into the youkai's bloodstream. Its shrieks of pain were immediate as it collapsed onto the ground. Sesshoumaru didn't even spare it a glance before moving onto the next youkai, this one stronger than the last and in a near ningen form. It was a female, completely covered in fur. But that didn't stop him as he simply ducked below her sword and sliced open her abdomen with his poisonous claws. As she fell, two more just like her came at him from both sides and he didn't even blink as he skewered them both in mid-step.

Across the way, he could hear and sometimes see the girl fighting on. Her shouts rang out above the shrieks and howls, the smell of her nervousness reaching him even through the nearly overwhelming metallic stench of blood. As he removed his claws from the abdomens of the two beast-like youkai, he realized that the rest of the attackers were not anywhere near him. But instead they surrounded her, attacking her in waves as she fended them off desperately.

Desperation. It shined in her blue orbs, rang out in her shouts, and nearly deafened him when she finally sustained her first injury as a neko youkai slashed his claws along her ribs. He could leave her now, as he should have originally. Leave her to die at the hands of those who obviously wanted her dead. But he couldn't move as he watched her decapitate the neko youkai who had landed the blow to her ribs, the spray of blood splattering across her clothes and face. He narrowed his eyes, hearing her cry out again as another set of claws raked across her skin only this time across her upper thigh.

'Bloody Hell...' He mentally sighed as he leapt into the air and forced some of his youki into his two first fingers on his left hand, seeing the telling green glow out of the corner of his eye as he simply made a slashing motion in midair. From his fingers flew a glowing ribbon of his poison formed into a youki weapon. He heard the shrieks of nearly ten youkai resound in the air as the whip flew right through them as though they were water. She was still on her feet, fending off a rather large boar youkai with her katana holding off its heavy axe. How the mistreated blade withstood the pressure, he didn't know. He brought his right arm down in a slashing motion at the same time as his left, unleashing two whips of neon green light upon the youkai mass. He could finally see her fully, all but the boar now focused on him. There were only ten, but they looked to be the strongest of the bunch, if not the dumbest. Big, stinking piles of flesh with simple clothing that barely covered anything. Weapons the size of small children.

Easy pickings.

He snorted quietly as he brought down both whips in a cross and slice through not only the youkai surrounding her, but the boar youkai she'd been fending off. Shrieks and ripping could be heard as they all fell, their bodies melting away just as all the others had. He narrowed his eyes as the smell of melting flesh reached his nose, but then turned to the ningen female when he smelt something else for the first time since the fight had begun.

Terror. Her terror.

She stood with her arms limp at her sides, her katana barely held in her hand. Her feet were apart and he saw why when he caught a glimpse of the muscles in her legs twitching. How long had she'd been running when he'd found her? He smelt the blood of numerous youkai on her as well as the blood coming from the two wounds she'd sustained, both of which looked deep from where he stood. Her shirt was nearly solid crimson now and a small puddle of blood had begun to appear beneath her., making his eyes narrow. A ningen would not be able to lose much more blood than she already had. Her hair that had been in a loose braid was now free and cascading down her back and to her upper thighs, covered in blood. For some reason all the blood, all the gore, looked startlingly wrong on the girl.

That's when he realized why she was suddenly terrified.

Her katana dropped the the ground as she sank to her knees, her hands held up in front of her face. Red with blood and the right one shaking from wielding the katana, she simply stared at them with wide eyes. He had seen this before, had experienced it before, but not to this degree. She seemed close to losing her mind, and he realized that although she wielded a katana and a bow, she was not a killer. It hit him then, the reason why the blood and gore looked so wrong on her.

This girl was not meant to kill.

He could hear her already ragged breaths become harsher as her eyes widened and her whole body began to shake. He narrowed his eyes as she looked down and attempted to wipe the blood from her shirt, becoming even more terrified when her hands merely smeared more on. Small, keening cries echoed quietly in her throat as her attempts to clean herself became more and more desperate. He had to stop this, before she opened her wounds any further.

"Wench." She didn't acknowledge him, but instead to rub with even more fervor.

"Girl." Again, she ignored him. But he listened harder and discovered she was beginning to mumble to herself.

"Gomenasai...gomen...haha-ue...gomen...I didn't want to..."

"Ningen!" But she ignored him once again, rocking back and forth as she smeared her blood all over her shirt. He could smell salt now as she began to shake her head as well. He could smell her blood heavier now is her movements forced more out through the gashes on her ribs. "Girl stop this nonsense now."

"Gomenasai...gomenasai...gomenasai...gomenasai!!!" He backed away as she turned and screamed to the skies, her body suddenly surrounded by a strange blue glow. The glow grew brighter the harder she sobbed and just before he had to look away, he saw her reaching towards the heavens with a crestfallen look on her face. The light died as he was able to look at her once more, taking the strange girl with it.

She was gone, disappeared without a trace.

His hair stood on end, tingles racing across his skin, and an almost electric surge ran through his body. His inner youkai awoke from its slumber, the image of a large white dog looking around in interest as it lay upon the ground appearing in his mind's eye. There was only thing that could possibly get that kind of reaction.

The girl, strange and completely abnormal, had been a miko.

He looked to the skies, his curiosity suddenly thirsty for knowledge for the first time in many years. The youkai court was expecting him home in a matter of days, for he had already been gone far too long for their tastes. But he narrowed his eyes at that thought and snorted lightly. They had no control over him anymore, they had barely had any to begin with. His so called "father" could handle the lands on his own for awhile. Besides, that would mean more freedom for him.

With his mind set, Sesshoumaru turned and walked into the dark woods without looking back at the still melting corpses that would be gone by morning.

Miles away, the blue light reappeared with the shaken miko kneeling in the middle of it once more. On the shores of the moonlit river, the light died again and she was left alone with tears running down her cheeks. Blood still stained her clothes, but beneath the ripped areas, there were no wounds. Her rib area was no longer gushing the blood it had been only moments before. Her belongings had somehow replaced themselves at their rightful places on her back and hip. But she simply discarded them in an almost mechanical fashion, her eyes remaining locked in place as she stared into space. As she pulled off her clothes, she visibly winced at the amount of damage they'd sustained. That and the fact that her skin was caked with the gore and blood of numerous youkai made her stomach turn.

Once stripped completely bare, she stepped into the slowly flowing river and hissed at the cold. But seeing as she had really no idea where she was, she had no hopes of finding a hot spring. She'd just have to deal with what she had. As she smoothly walked out into the water, anyone watching her would be able to see several things out of place on one such as her. First, unlike most ningen in this age, beneath the blood and dirt that coated her body, she was extremely fair skinned. Second, upon the pale skin of her back was what looked like one large, very complex tattoo in black ink that was semi visible from beneath her dark curtain of hair. Many would look upon it, if they ever got the chance, and call her a troubled youth even in those days.

But then there were those who knew its true purpose. A seal of power. A seal of memories.

To this day, she still had no idea why most of her powers and memories were locked away by the seal. Had she'd done some wrong, even though that was completely against all she knew? Had she'd seen something she wasn't meant to see? If not one of those, then what was the reason? She questioned it more than often, and she momentarily questioned the reason as she lowered herself into the water so it reached her chin. She grimaced visibly with a hiss when she saw the water become murky and red with the gore that was upon her body. She moved stiffly, reaching behind her and lifting her dirtied onyx locks over her shoulder to reveal yet another few oddities about her.

Carved at the base of her neck, so faintly that it was only visible from up close, was a star. Just a plain five-point star, but inside the "lines" of the star were different swirling patterns. It looked to be done with a very small blade, intentionally, so that the marking would be hard to see or decipher by those who didn't know of it. It was a marking of status, of power, and of secrecy. More than often, those found with the mark by the government were exterminated on sight. But another scar, another odd thing, lay upon the skin of her back.

But unlike the star, it wasn't a scar she'd intentionally wanted. There was a matching scar on her front as well. She frowned when she touched the one on her front, knowing just how ugly it was even in just the moonlight. It lay directly over the area where her heart was, not fine and barely noticeable like the star. But luckily it was small, thanks to the herbs she'd placed on it, and wasn't as bad as it could have been. An arrow, so close to the heart that it was a miracle she'd survived.

'It's a miracle she survived as well.' She snorted disdainfully before leaning over and letting most of her hair dip into the slowly flowing water, gently picking out bits of branches, leaves, and youkai innards. She felt her stomach turn quite a bit as she pulled a rather slimy piece from her hair, biting back a small whine as she threw it downstream.

Once her stomach settled again, she felt the hot coal of regret sink down in her gut once more. Never, in her short existence, had she'd slain any creature. At least, not intentionally. There was a time when she'd slain a weak rat youkai when it had charged her. In an effort to save her own life, she screamed and fallen on her back, thrusting the blade of her katana up and effectively slicing the creature right down the middle. For weeks afterward she was inconsolable, always praying in the shrine and begging for forgiveness that the others insisted she didn't need.

The others. They were truly so different from her. Where as she couldn't handle killing a low level youkai, her comrades could kill many of them with one attack. They were all so strong having trained since the age of five. Fighting had become their life for the most part, and because of this, they'd secluded themselves away from the rest of the world to their own village hidden high in the mountains. Not for themselves, but for the rest of the world. They only knew the way of the warrior, and battles were their life. Their were never without a weapon, never without a strategy. They were elite, they were unique, and they were assassins.

She sighed as she finally decided her hair was particle free and she flipped it back over her shoulder before leaning back to let it rinse completely in the water. She looked at the stars above her, sadness in her eyes even though her face was blissfully blank. She was so different from those she knew, afraid to harm another living thing and mediocre at best with a sword. She was more than often shunned by them, only having a few precious friends outside her tiny family. She'd always thanked the Kami for her family. For not only were they kind and gentle like her behind their warrior ways, they were the reason she wasn't as tormented as she should have been.

But she frowned at that thought and sat up, not at all wanting to think about her heritage.

As she set about shoving her thoughts aside and resuming the task of rinsing her body clean of blood, a young man sprinted through the corridors of a castle, his silver flowing behind him. He wore a plain pair of black hakama, his feet bare unlike most in the castle, and a startlingly bright red haori that stood out against the plain stone walls of the castle.

"Inuyasha-sama! You mustn't run inside the castle! Your sensei will have my head if..."

"Keh! Shut your yap Myoga! Chichi-ue wants me to come see him in the study and I bet it has something to do with that rat bastard Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha had a mischievous grin on his features, his fluffy ears upright and alert.

Compared to Sesshoumaru, he was still an infant. But Inuyasha had grown since that day so long ago in the courtyard, and his memories if that day were becoming fuzzy with time. He now bore the appearance of a fifteen year old, tall and lean even though he still only reached his sibling's jaw. But Inuyasha could bet that he was taller than Sesshoumaru remembered. After all, it had been nearly a decade since the two had come face to face. In an effort to increase the speed and effectiveness of his training, their father had sent Inuyasha off to live in a sort of demonic monastery. After a decade, Inuyasha had finally sprinted through the gates of his home and was welcomed back by his father with a cheerful chuckle. But when he'd stopped and looked around, the only other remaining member of his family wasn't present.

_"Sesshoumaru-sama is away on one of his trips Inuyasha-sama!"_

_"How long has he been gone?"_

_"Nearly a month M'lord!"_

'Keh, baka probably found a woman to entertain him for once.' Inwardly, Inuyasha laughed his head off. Not in half a century had he'd known Sesshoumaru to indulge in a woman, and beyond that length of time, he discovered Sesshoumaru had kept females at the bottom of his list of priorities. Sure, his older sibling may not be inexperienced by any means, but Inuyasha didn't understand how someone of Sesshoumaru's looks and power didn't indulge once in a while. He, Inuyasha, was still too young by their father's standards and therefore had reasons for avoiding females. But at this point, Inuyasha was beginning to question his sibling's sexual preferences.

Again, Inuyasha mentally laughed his fool head off even as he slowed to a walk and stopped completely as he came face to face with the grand oak doors of his father's study and knocked.

"Enter." Inuyasha thrust the door open with enthusiasm that made the Inu no Taisho chuckle as he scanned over a scroll in he'd just pulled from its place on the high shelves. "You're very...excitable today my son."

"Keh, I'm just bored." It was true. Lessons ruled his everyday life now, and most people within the castle walls avoided his presence even to this day. Unfortunately for him, the few servants or guards that were actually social with him were away on other duties. So he'd been sitting slouched against the frame of the window his room, watching the bustling business of the courtyard all day.

"Ah, I see. Well then, I may as well tell you why you were summoned then." The Inu no Taisho put the scroll back in its place gently before turning to face his second born son with a slightly exasperated look on his face. "I need you to do something for me Inuyasha."

"It's about Sesshoumaru, isn't it?" Inuyasha wanted to chuckle when he saw the look on his father's face. Even though it was a rather brutal and angry dispute, it was sometimes so funny that Inuyasha couldn't help but be amused.

"Yes, unfortunately. The wretch has not returned on the day he told us he would and the council is...wary. They wish for someone to retrieve him to put the unease in our lands at rest. Apparently the people seem to be more comfortable when your sibling is here." Inuyasha frowned at the tone in his father's voice but brushed it off after dealing with it so long.

"So...I'm guessing you want me to go. Right?" The Inu no Taisho nodded with a sigh, looking away from his second born sun and out the large window.

"Yes. At the current time, I cannot afford to spare a single soldier. Rebellion parties are popping up everywhere even though we've eliminated the biggest threat." At this, Inuyasha's ears perked up.

"The biggest threat? I didn't think we had any sort of threat." The elder inu looked relieved to change the subject from Sesshoumaru as he turned and walked towards the large desk at the far end of the generous study.

"We've had our share of rebel parties for some time now, but none have really brought any sort of threat to the table before the House of the Shooting Star."

"House of the Shooting Star? That name doesn't even ring a bell in my mind."

"That's because you've never had to concern yourself over matters such as this. But that house was a growing threat from the beginning, all its members being youkai taijiya and various spiritual men and women. Their leader was a woman, strange as that may be, and she was the strongest miko in nearly a thousand years. Her power enabled her to destroy a taiyoukai with minimal effort. She trained younger mikos to use their powers, as well as young monks. They were a threat like no other, and we were forced to exterminate them all."

"Wait...all? What do you mean by all? Why not just take out the leader and her council?"

"We leveled their hidden village and burned all who survived the battle. None survived, not even a single child." There was a sadness in the Inu no Taisho's tone that didn't escape Inuyasha's notice. But nevertheless, the anger burned in his gut.

"Why?! How could you waste life so easily like that? Chichi-ue, there is nothing, _nothing, _honorable in something such as that! If I learned anything from my sensei, it was that honor comes before everything else!" He watched the older inu's face go blank and cold as he spoke, but found he didn't care. For all the respect he had for his father, Inuyasha could not see how one person could order the elimination of so many lives, young and old.

"I did what was needed. Nothing more."

"Bullshit! You wasted life needlessly! How could you do something so heartless?! And you call Sesshoumaru 'cold'! What you was uncalled for!" Upon hearing his eldest son's name, the Inu no Taisho turned and leveled his youngest with a glare Inuyasha had never seen before on his father's face.

"Speak not of that abomination to me! Now go, retrieve him before the council does something rash! Be gone from my sight! Now!" Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice and left the room in a blur of red with a growl that clearly told his father what he thought of him at that moment.

As he stomped towards his chambers, Inuyasha could only hope that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be too hard to find.

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru was making sure that he was nearly impossible to be found. Unlike most youkai, taiyoukai or not, he was taught how to conceal his aura and scent at a young age by a youkai from a country on the mainland. Keeping to the trees, he made sure he left no tracks and moved with such speed that no one, ningen nor youkai, could see him. One goal was on his mind and was determined to reach that goal.

Even if it was a goal he would have normally frowned at.

The girl. After she'd disappeared there was a lasting trace of power that had sent tingles through his skin and stirred his nearly dormant beast. It was enough to make his curiosity crave knowledge more than it had in a century. She was a miko, more powerful in those moments than any miko he'd heard of in centuries. With every bit of his instincts, he knew she could easily purify a youkai of his caliber if she concentrated. But from what he'd seen, her powers were fueled by her emotions and completely untrained.

She was volatile.

She was powerful, untrained, and dangerous to any youkai who was around her when her powers came to the surface. As he flew on, he realized that power like hers could be a force to be feared by his kind if harnessed. So why follow her then to study the power and the girl it was housed in? Why not kill her and eliminate a threat to his kind? Strangely enough, Sesshoumaru found with a frown that he couldn't answer that. He was without a real reason other than to eliminate his curiosity, and it irritated him far more than he cared to admit, even to himself.

In fact, it was quite aggravating to think about. He, a youkai who prided himself in having complete control of himself, was suddenly lacking control in the area of his curiosity. He was letting something as simple as curiosity rule him, and he hated it. But on the other, he found he couldn't help it. How, after so many years of weakling mikos with barely enough power to seal an oni, could a miko with enough power to purify a taiyoukai suddenly appear from seemingly nowhere? Why had she'd been alone? Why had she looked so terrified after killing her enemy when others like her smiled in victory?

Why was he so curious about the girl in particular?

Sesshoumaru let out a small, irritated growl as he leapt from a thick branch and into the night sky, searching out the girl's distinctive aura as his eyes skimmed the land beneath him. The reason was simple; the girl was an enigma on her own. Her clothing, her power, and her eyes. Those eyes, sapphire eyes that glittered in the firelight with a strength her tiny form belittled. Those eyes were not of a ningen, for ningen of Japan had varying colors of browns. Had her father been foreign? The eyes, clothes, and subtle foreign differences in her face from a normal Japanese female suggested such a thing. But if her father had been foreign, where was he know?

He snorted at himself, finding that he was thinking far too much about a single female, a ningen female at that. It was ridiculous, and it had to stop. Now. When he found her, he would interrogate her about her strange power and that would be the end of it. His curiosity would be appeased and he would return to the western palace.

The palace.

He let out something akin to a snarl at the thought of his prison. He loathed that place, the memories of his life far too chocking there along with scents of his disgusting father, half breed sibling, and his father's ningen wife. The council hounded him at every turn, urging him to overtake his father and secure the western provinces. The servants dropped things in his presence, afraid of his wrath through their respect of him. It was more than enough to drive him insane. He felt like a trapped animal in that place, and a trapped animal became dangerous after extended amounts of time caged.

Sesshoumaru had passed the point of being dangerous.

When training recently, he'd blacked out only to come back and find that the dojo was sorely in need of repair. It was not like him, and it was beneath him. It made him scoff. So, to rid himself of that hindrance, he'd left on one of his "jaunts" as the council liked to say. He loved to escape the prison known as his ancestral home. He loved to be surrounded by nothing but the wilderness with no company other than animals and the occasional oni he simply eliminated with his youki whip.

He loved the freedom he felt while in the wilderness.

Sesshoumaru had one love, and it would remain that way. It was not power as many thought, not battle, and certainly not his family. His only love was freedom, and it was sorely lacking in his aristocratic life. His freedom was everything, it was what kept him sane. Without his freedom, Sesshoumaru became nothing but a beast ruled only by joy, anger, and lust. A purely instinctual creature. A danger to himself and anything around him. He needed his freedom, and as he leapt from another branch and even higher into the skies than before, Sesshoumaru let his eyes slip closed and his cold mask slide off as a calm smile etched its way across his face and he soaked in the utter peace of everything around him. Using his youki, he stayed suspended there, all thoughts of the mysterious girl gone from his mind.

But apparently, the world thought he'd basked long enough.

The tranquility died as fast as it had come as a female's scream echoed through the night. Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open, revealing glowing golden orbs to the world as he flipped and flew towards the ground once more. His feet never even seemed to hit the branch beneath him before he was off at a run with youkai speed that made him no more than a blur. As he ran, he inhaled deeply of the night air, trying to discern the scent of the female. But he could find no scent and no aura.

'I shall have to follow the screams and shouts then.' Springing off another branch, he leapt towards the newest shout of anger and cleared the treetops, looking down into a clearing just a few yards away.

It wasn't the female he'd intended it to be, but she was intriguing nonetheless. She was a lone ningen, facing off against a female tiger youkai. The youkai was little more of a threat than an oni, with fur covering her entire body beneath the sparse leather clothing. She wore armor made of dragon scales that fit her like a second skin with pink guards on her shoulders, knees, and abdomen. Her long brown hair was secured in a high ponytail that was coming loose from her fighting the angry tigress. She had a warrior's gleam in her eye, a graceful balance in her stance as she blocking the youkai's claws with her blood-soaked katana, and a muscular body that was relatively unheard of in ningen women.

She was a warrior through and through, and it showed in every aspect of her.

He continued watching from the sky, gauging whether or not he should aid her, when she rolled to her left as the tigress dove at her and grabbed what looked like a giant boomerang. That's when he realized what she was.

'A taijiya...' She swung it above her head using one arm, a hard feat for any normal ningen, before running at the unprepared tigress and swinging her giant weapon in a long arc.

"Hiraikotsu!" The bone boomerang hit the tigress with such force that even though he was suspended in the sky watching, Sesshoumaru heard the crack of the female youkai's skull and all the rest of her bones as the boomerang split her down the middle. The tigress' screams echoed in the night as the female taijiya got into a low defensive stance, her eyes searching for anymore tiger youkai that would attack her for killing one of their own. But as the two halves of the female youkai's body came to rest upon the ground, the taijiya relaxed and realized there was no longer a threat.

Suddenly, she was a normal ningen again.

Her limbs began to quake and her breaths came out in ragged puffs as she slid to her knees, barely keeping herself up with her giant weapon. Her katana lay abandoned a few feet away, the blood on the blade gleaming sinisterly in the moonlight. All the warrior's glory that she'd shown was suddenly gone, leaving a teenage ningen trembling in her wake. She looked about seventeen years of age, right at the top of her prime.

'Ningen...to have such little time that seventeen seasons is considered their 'prime'. Pitiful.' He, after nearly four centuries of life, was in his prime and looked about nineteen in ningen appearance. How he would have loathed to have been born ningen, with a life-span so short that one doesn't have enough time to grasp most subjects the world had to offer. To only grope at things in desperation to have a fruitful life in the short years one was granted. Ningen life was so short, so rushed.

Where as his was slow, routine, and, as he suddenly realized, empty.

Suddenly, he heard the ningen female's harsh intake of breath as she stiffened. Her hands grasped her weapon once more and the warrior female returned.

"I know you're their youkai! Show yourself!" So, she had sensed his youki somehow. Interesting, for he felt no spiritual power coming from the young female. With his curiosity awakened, Sesshoumaru let himself descend into the clearing, landing gracefully and soundlessly only a few feet in front of the girl. She looked up with startled brown eyes, fear showing for the first time when she studied him. Clearly, she knew what she was dealing with. They stayed like that, studying each other for some time, both just as curious as the other was. It was Sesshoumaru that spoke first.

"Girl, why is one such as you traveling alone? I thought it was the way of the taijiya to travel in groups." She had jumped when he'd first spoke, his deep voice sending shivers across her skin. But as he asked his question, her expression darkened and her grip on her weapon tightened almost painfully as she gritted her teeth and swallowed before speaking.

"I am all that is left of my people. The rest were slain in a cowardly attack on our hidden village." This surprised him greatly, but not enough for him to allow it to show. A taijiya village being destroyed? It was completely unheard of!

"How did you survive then, girl, when the best male warriors did not?" She snorted and stood, her legs suddenly having strength in them again.

"Despite what the rest of the world thinks, female taijiya are just as capable as the men. I was the strongest of my village, but I was injured several days before the attack and practically bedridden. As the intruders attacked, my only sibling hid me in an underground storage to save me. My younger brother and father perished, along with the rest of the village. Taijiya, houshi, and miko alike were all slain. Even the strongest of all, our leader Shizuka of the Higurashi Clan, was slain. The House of the Shooting Star was destroyed and our legacy was lost." Something about what the girl said made bells ring in his mind, but he pushed that aside and asked a question about the last part of her explanation.

"You said something about a legacy. What is this legacy?" She looked at him then, her gaze intense and serious.

"A power so great that when placed into the wrong hands, it could destroy us all, youkai and ningen alike."

"What happened to this 'power'? Was it housed somewhere in the village?" She shook her head at him with a soft laugh.

"This power was not housed like other powers you may be thinking of. It took a ningen host, a female, in ever generation. We only recently discovered who possessed it, and she was a disappointment to the other villagers. She was my best friend though, and I knew her potential. I don't know what happened to her, the 'Guardian of the Shooting Star Legacy', but what I do know is this; that power will prolong the life of the guardian and sometimes protect them. She may very well still be alive out there. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be walking through a village and catch a glimpse of sapphire blue eyes hidden behind onyx bangs."

Sesshoumaru felt the world stop then.

The girl which he'd saved only just that day, the girl which had looked so strange and foreign, and the girl this taijiya spoke of...they were the same person. A girl destined to guard a sacred power that could be used for great evil. He now knew why she was so somber and quiet when he'd seen her. To lose her whole village, family and friends, was something no creature should have to experience. But unfortunately in the world they lived in now, it was all too common.

Again, Sesshoumaru felt the craving for freedom. Freedom from the disgusting world of twisted aristocracy and decimated villages.

"Forgive the rambles of this lowly ningen female, My Lord. For I know you are a lord, your markings say as much. But I have to wonder...can this lowly female make a request?" He watched her as she spoke and could tell it was difficult for her to talk in such a way. So, seeing her pride burning in her eyes, he nodded for her to continue.

"May I travel with you My Lord? I am a taijiya willing to lay her services in your hands, to come at your call to fight battles you find unworthy of your time. I can tend to wounds using herbs and old remedies, and I can be a companion for a lone one such as yourself. I ask this because I have never traveled on my own and if I'm to ever find Kagome, I need to know where I have been and where I should search. Onegai, I need your assistance My Lord." He studied her as she spoked and took the name of the previously unnamed female into his mind and kept it there. She was sincere, smart in her wording, and obviously sincere.

"I do not require companionship. But I allow you to travel with me." She looked relieved, though she hid it well, and she nodded at him before gathering up her katana cleaning it with the sash at her waist before sliding it into its place through the sash just used to clean it.

Sesshoumaru turned and began walking, hearing the female's footsteps behind him. He was now intent on not returning to the castle, for one such as himself should not be seen with ningen company. He didn't know the true reason for allowing her to follow him, one who hated ningen with a passion like no other. But he didn't ponder on it anymore and he blended into the forest once more, setting a pace comfortable for the female behind him.

Oh how his curiosity made him a laughable excuse for a taiyoukai. All this for a lone ningen female, who he now knew as Kagome, and the mysterious, dangerous, power hidden away in her petite form.

_A/N:_

_Holy crap and a half...this has taken me forever!!! . I blame my horrid writer's block. It loves to tease me. One minute, I have inspiration flying out of my brain and then bam! Block! ARGH! But supposedly my mom got me a book that helps people get rid of writer's block so meh...that might help. But anywho...please tell me what you think. And yes people, this is still a Sesshoumaru and Kagome fic. But I may throw in a twist involving Sango. Just to warn you, even though I love Sango and my nickname is actually "Sango", she may end up being a heavily disliked character in this story. I'm not exactly sure. And once again, there's probably oodles of mistakes, but I'm still lacking a beta reader. So yes...review me people! I love to hear your thoughts on my writing! Ja ne!_

_-Blue_

_P.S._

_Only one more week until Christmas Break! Thank GOD!!!! XD_


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